Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not dismissing a petition seeking her recall. She believes INEC’s response to the petition shows that the commission is taking sides instead of being neutral.

On Tuesday, INEC confirmed receiving the petition, which reportedly includes signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in Kogi Central.

However, INEC noted that the petition lacked important details, such as the contact addresses, phone numbers, and emails of the petitioners. These details are required under the 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.

In reaction, Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her lawyer Victor Giwa, sent a letter on March 26, stating that INEC should have rejected the petition for not meeting legal requirements. Instead, INEC advised the petitioners to fix the missing details, which she sees as unfair.

Akpoti-Uduaghan argued that if INEC was truly neutral, it should have declared the petition invalid immediately, which would have stopped the recall process.

She said, “INEC’s press release shows that it has taken sides. The petition did not meet the required standards, so the commission should have rejected it instead of guiding the petitioners on how to fix their mistakes.”

She also pointed out that the petition only listed addresses from Okene, Kogi State. This suggests that the signatures might not truly represent the entire senatorial district.

According to her, allowing the petitioners to correct their mistakes instead of rejecting the petition outright goes against due process. She urged INEC to take the right steps and restore public trust.

“We believe that INEC will do the right thing,” she concluded.

This situation has sparked debates about INEC’s neutrality and fairness in handling election-related matters. Nigerians will be watching closely to see how the electoral body responds.